Reid Greenwood

Welcome to Reid’s CaringBridge site. If you don’t know his story, start here for the basics. We understand that because he was born during the strange times of COVID, many friends and some family don’t know or don’t totally understand what is going on in our lives. We plan to use this one place to keep family and friends updated as we begin the next leg of Reid’s journey, including surgeries. We appreciate your support, welcome your prayers, and look forward to your words of hope and encouragement. Thanks for being a part of Reid’s team! All our love, John and Laura

Reid was born 4/3/20 and surprised us by arriving without his right eyelid. Official diagnosis is Coloboma of the eyelid. At 10 days old Reid got his first contact lens, which he wears to protect his eye and keep it moist until he grows and can have surgery to create an eyelid.

When he was about 4 weeks old we brought him to see a craniofacial specialist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) and he was diagnosed with a Tessier 9 Facial Cleft, affecting the bones of the eyebrows and eye socket. Most people are familiar with clefts of the lip or palate, but Reid’s just happens to extend up through the bones of his eye and face.

Then in November 2020, he was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis, where the suture lines of the skull are fused too early and therefore the skull of the baby cannot grow properly. This needs to be surgically opened so the baby’s skull can grow symmetrically and so there is no additional pressure out on the developing brain. Reid has unicoronal craniosynostosis, so the only suture fused is the one on the right side of his skull, sort of above his ear. Quite likely this is somehow linked to his cleft on that side but not sure how exactly.

His first surgery is planned for 2/11/21 at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He is having a craniosynostosis repair and then because they are going to be in there already, they are also going to do a facial reconstruction of the eyebrow and eye socket bones. His eyelid surgery will come at a later date with his Oculoplastics team at UIHC. Come follow along on journey and don’t hesitate to let us know you are thinking of us!